The technical scope of the present invention is that of loading devices for weapons and in particular for large caliber weapons.
So-called field artillery must be loaded by means of a tray onto which the shell or the round is placed. Then, the shell is introduced into the weapon using a ramming device and a wedging device and this automatically.
Thus, Patents FR-A-2448121 and FR-2721387 propose positioning mechanisms in which a receiving tray for the shell is brought by rotation into the cannon axis, then the shell is translated by means of the rammer until it reaches a loading position and lastly, after a second rotation of the tray, wedging means are brought into the cannon axis to move the shell until it reaches a wedged position in the forcing cone of the cannon. This type of device is fully adapted for a weapon having a breech block whose ring serves to extend the tray for the positioning of the shell, but can not be implemented in a weapon having a screw breech. Indeed, in this latter type of weapon, the tray carrying the shell must penetrate into the breech so as to accompany the shell until it reaches the opening of the barrel during the positioning operations and it is thus impossible to ensure the second rotation of said tray to bring the rammer into the cannon axis and so wedge the shell in position.
The aim of the present invention is to supply a loading device for a piece of artillery fitted with a screw breech able to reliably and rapidly ensure the positioning of the shell whilst avoiding any deterioration to the sealing means and ensuring firing reliability.
The subject of the invention is thus a loading device for a shell in the cannon chamber of a weapon fitted with a screw breech incorporating a receiving tray onto which the shell is positioned, enabling it to be brought from a set up position to a loading position in which said shell is aligned with the cannon axis, ramming means and means to wedge said shell in said cannon operating successively, said ramming means and said wedging means being integral with the tray, said tray being connected to the slide of said weapon in an articulated manner in order to move said shell from the set up position to the loading position, said wedging means being connected in an articulated manner with respect to said tray such that after said shell has been rammed into place said wedging means partially engage in said tray substantially in said cannon axis, said tray being engaged in the weapon breech in abutment against a sealing cone of said cannon, wherein said tray is fitted at its front end with protection means abutting against said sealing cone.
The protection means are advantageously assembled in a flexible manner with respect to the tray in order to eliminate any possible differences in the gaps between the breech and the tray and they are integral with rods mounted sliding with respect to the tray, springs being positioned between the tray and the protection means.
The springs are placed around said rods.
According one embodiment the protection means are advantageously constituted by a ring of plastic material whose inner diameter is substantially greater than the outer diameter of the shell and whose outer profile is shaped to match that of the sealing cone.
According to another embodiment, the wedging means are connected to the tray by means of two wings articulated with respect to the tray, at least one jack being placed between the tray and the slide to bring aid means into a wedging position.
The wedging means are advantageously constituted by a telescopic jack.
The tray is advantageously fitted with a hydraulic shock absorber ensuring its braking at the end of its run.
The wedging means, the ramming means and the tray are preferentially brought back simultaneously into the rear inoperative position after the shell has been positioned in the forcing cone of the weapon barrel.
The return rotation of the wedging means out of the tray and the return rotation of the tray out of the cannon axis are carried out simultaneously seeing that the wedging means, ramming means and tray have gone back into the rear inoperative position.
A first advantage of the invention lies in the fact that it is possible for a weapon having a screw breech to be loaded at an equivalent or even higher rate than that of weapons having a breech ring.
Another advantage lies in the fact that the sealing cone of the weapon barrel is protected from any shocks caused by the shell.
Another advantage lies in the improved compactness of the positioning device.